Silicon-based visible and near-infrared optoelectric devices
First Claim
1. A photodetector, comprising:
- a silicon substrate having a surface layer doped with electron-donating inclusions so as to exhibit a diodic current-voltage characteristic, said surface layer being configured for exposure to external radiation, one or more electrical contacts disposed on the substrate for applying a selected reverse bias voltage to said surface layer to facilitate generation of an electrical signal in response to exposure of the surface layer to radiation, wherein said surface layer is configured such that generation of said electrical signal in response to said radiation at a reverse bias voltage less than about 15 volts exhibits a responsivity greater than about 1 ampere/watt (A/W) for at least one wavelength in a range of about 250 nm to about 1050 nm.
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Abstract
In one aspect, the present invention provides a silicon photodetector having a surface layer that is doped with sulfur inclusions with an average concentration in a range of about 0.5 atom percent to about 1.5 atom percent. The surface layer forms a diode junction with an underlying portion of the substrate. A plurality of electrical contacts allow application of a reverse bias voltage to the junction in order to facilitate generation of an electrical signal, e.g., a photocurrent, in response to irradiation of the surface layer. The photodetector exhibits a responsivity greater than about 1 A/W for incident wavelengths in a range of about 250 nm to about 1050 nm, and a responsivity greater than about 0.1 A/W for longer wavelengths, e.g., up to about 3.5 microns.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A photodetector, comprising:
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a silicon substrate having a surface layer doped with electron-donating inclusions so as to exhibit a diodic current-voltage characteristic, said surface layer being configured for exposure to external radiation, one or more electrical contacts disposed on the substrate for applying a selected reverse bias voltage to said surface layer to facilitate generation of an electrical signal in response to exposure of the surface layer to radiation, wherein said surface layer is configured such that generation of said electrical signal in response to said radiation at a reverse bias voltage less than about 15 volts exhibits a responsivity greater than about 1 ampere/watt (A/W) for at least one wavelength in a range of about 250 nm to about 1050 nm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A photodetector for use in the visible and the infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, comprising:
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a silicon substrate having a doped layer containing an electron-donating dopant, said doped layer exhibiting a diodic current-voltage curve and being configured to receive an external radiation, one or more electrical contacts disposed on said substrate for applying a reverse bias voltage to said doped layer to facilitate generation of an electrical signal in response to irradiation of at least a portion of said doped layer, wherein said photodetector exhibits a responsivity greater that about 1 amperes/watt for at least one radiation wavelength in a range of about 250 nm to about 1050 nm and a responsivity greater than about 0.1 amperes/watt for at least one radiation wavelength in a range of about 1050 nm to about 3500 nm. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A photodetector, comprising:
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a silicon substrate having a layer containing a plurality of electron-donating inclusions, said layer being adjacent to an underlying bulk portion of the substrate and forming a diode junction with said bulk portion, a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on said substrate such that at least a portion of said layer remains exposed for receiving incident electromagnetic radiation, wherein upon application of a selected reverse bias voltage to said diode junction via said electrical contacts, said substrate generates a photocurrent in response to exposure of said microstructured layer to incident radiation having a responsivity in a range of about 1 A/W to about 200 A/W for at least one radiation wavelength in a range of about 250 nm to about 1050 nm and a responsivity greater than about 0.1 A/W for at least one radiation wavelength in a range of about 1050 nm to about 3500 nm. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A photodetector, comprising:
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a silicon substrate having a surface layer including a dopant, said surface layer exhibiting a sheet charge density in a range of about 1012 cm−
2 to about 1014 cm−
2,one or more electrical contacts disposed on the substrate for applying a reverse bias voltage to said surface layer, wherein an exposure of at least a portion of the surface layer to radiation having at least one wavelength in a range of about 250 nm to about 1050 nm results in generation of an electrical signal at a responsivity greater than about 1 ampere/watt (A/W). - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
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37. A photodetector, comprising:
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a silicon substrate having a surface layer including electron-donating inclusions so as to form a diodic junction with an underlying portion of the substrate, said surface layer having an average thickness less than about 1 micron, wherein upon application of a selected bias voltage to said junction, said substrate is capable of generating an electrical signal in response to radiation having at least one wavelength in a range of about 250 nm to about 1050 nm at a responsivity greater than about 1 ampere/watts (A/W). - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40)
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Specification